Tyron Woodley says UFC paid him similarly to Donald Cerrone, takes umbrage: ‘Motherf*cker never touched gold’

Tyron Woodley is furious that Donald Cerrone made the same amount of money as him and Demetrious Johnson without ever being UFC champ.

[autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] takes issue with the UFC paying him similar to [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].

Woodley, a former UFC welterweight champion, defended the title four times during his reign from 2016 to 2019. He parted ways with the UFC in March 2021 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss.

Woodley revealed that he wanted to part ways with the UFC years prior and how fighter pay was the main reason for his departure. He said he made $500,000 for his final title fight against Kamaru Usman.

“I was going to leave the UFC after (fighting) Darren Till,” Woodley said on the “MIGHTYcast” with Demetrious Johnson. “I told them, ‘F*cking cut me, dog. Ya’ll don’t want me here. Why ya’ll keep holding on to me, dog?’ We (kept) fighting and sh*t every fight because you know how I was. I was a gorilla. … I knew the numbers so well. I knew what everybody was making. I’m not finna go out there and be making the same as ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

“That motherf*cker ain’t never touched gold in his life. That’s just a principle thing. Sometimes when you’re an African-American in this game, they think you should just be appreciative. I’m not just appreciative. I’m thankful that you gave me an opportunity, but you didn’t give me the gifts. God gave me the gifts. I’m thankful to him.”

Woodley claimed that he fought with the UFC over former longtime flyweight champion Johnson’s pay, as well. Johnson recently revealed that it took three consecutive title defense for him to get a champion’s contract with the UFC, and he could never get pay-per-view points.

“I argued with them (UFC) over you a couple times,” Woodley told Johnson. “It ain’t have sh*t to do with me, but I was like, nah. I was talking numbers. I’m like, when you go to basketball, it don’t matter if Steph Curry throwing a Monster can at somebody’s dome or bust a window out. He can pull a three. He’s going to get paid top dollar.

“You got DJ who got (11) titles, but you going to pay ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone the same as him? Cowboy was making ($350,000). He never touched gold ever. So, your reason behind him making $350,000 per fight is that he never complains, he takes any fight that you offer him, he’ll even fight injured, he’ll even fight last-minute notice. That don’t work for me.”

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Anthony Smith: Wanting to be ‘bigger version of Donald Cerrone’ was my biggest mistake

Anthony Smith says his desire to replicate Donald Cerrone’s attitude has caused inconsistencies in his career.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] says his desire to replicate [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]’s attitude has caused inconsistencies in his career.

Smith (36-18 MMA, 11-8 UFC) rematches Ryan Spann (21-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 225 co-headliner at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The event streams on ESPN+.

“Lionheart” has had mixed results of late and will look to snap a two-fight skid when he runs things back with Spann. Smith has fought a who’s-who of the division – from current heavyweight champion Jon Jones, to former champ Glover Teixeira, and former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev. Like Cerrone, Smith has gone from challenging for the title, to giving lower ranked guys like Devin Clark an opportunity, which he thinks greatly contributed to his mixed results.

“I’ve just always had the mindset that if you want to be the champion you’ve got to be able to beat everybody,” Smith told ESPN. “I haven’t done that up to this point. I’ve had some hiccups. Here’s my biggest mistake: I’ve always said that I wanted to be like the bigger version of Donald Cerrone: ‘I’ll fight anybody, anytime, anyplace.’ I’ve lived up to that. I’ll take all comers. I’ll fight lower-ranked guys. I’ll fight higher-ranked guys. I’ll fight on short notice. I’ll fight across the world. It doesn’t matter.

“What I didn’t take into account is maybe I’ve absorbed some of the inconsistencies that Donald Cerrone’s seen at times, where I think sometimes I show up and I can beat anybody in the world, and sometimes I’m not as consistent. That’s really my issue. I don’t really care who the opponent is, I’m just worried about trying to be as consistent as possible. I’m on right now, and I can be on for two or three in a row. But for whatever reason, I don’t know if I get distracted or I take my eye off the ball or whatever, then I turn in some stinkers every once in a while, and it sucks.”

Smith’s most recent octagon win came over Spann in September 2021, when he submitted him in Round 1 to earn the “Performance of the Night” bonus.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 225.

Ex-UFC title challenger Donald Cerrone happy on PEDs with no USADA in retirement: ‘I feel like I’m f*cking 21 again’

Former UFC title challenger and Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone says he’s content so far in his post-fighting career.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is content in his post-fighting career.

Cerrone (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC) hung up his gloves a year ago after a submission loss to Jim Miller. He was inducted in the UFC’s 2023 Hall of Fame this past Thursday.

“Cowboy” has bulked up majorly in retirement and said he is enjoying the perks of no longer being in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool.

“I have two fights left, and to have 50 would be cool,” Cerrone told MMA Junkie and other reporters Thursday on the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. “Fifty would be a cool number. (I’m) not saying it’s happening – not saying I’m itching for it to happen. But maybe one day it will.

“I mean, right now, all the good sh*t after the non-USADA approved sh*t, I feel like I’m f*cking 21 again. You know what I’m saying? I’m telling you, guys – any of you fighters, when you’re done, go ahead and get on the TRT and put your wife in a bind because that’s when you’ll feel like an 18-year-old boy again.”

Cerrone says it would need to be a massive figure to entice him out of retirement and get him to fight again. Otherwise, he’s happy where he is in life.

“I made great money in the UFC. Dana White treated me great. I don’t need the money,” Cerrone said. “I’m not itching because I need a couple of hundred thousand dollars. It would have to be such a crazy number where I’m like, ‘Eh, f*ck it, I could use $5 million.'”

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2023 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Live blog, highlights

Check out our 2023 UFC Hall of Fame live blog featuring highlight moments and quotes from the ceremony in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The 2023 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Thursday evening at T-Mobile Arena.

The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 10 p.m. ET, with red carpet interviews with fighters, commentators, and others taking place ahead of the official ceremony.

The 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class includes:

  • [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – Modern Wing
  • [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] – Modern Wing
  • [autotag]Jens Pulver[/autotag] – Pioneer Wing
  • [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] – Pioneers Wing
  • [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] 2, UFC 189 – Fight Wing

Check out our live blog below featuring highlight moments and quotes from the event.

Daniel Cormier insists (again) Jim Miller shouldn’t be UFC Hall of Famer – and neither should Donald Cerrone

Daniel Cormier sees Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone having longevity, but their overall resumes are lacking to be in the UFC Hall of Fame.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] has doubled down on his opinion of [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] as a future UFC Hall of Famer.

Miller (36-17 MMA, 25-16 UFC), who is coming off a 25-second knockout of Jesse Butler less than two weeks ago at UFC on ESPN 45, is the record holder for most octagon victories in the promotion’s history at 25.

Cormier lauds Miller for his longevity but doesn’t think he has a resume worthy of a place in the UFC Hall of Fame. Cormier, who also doesn’t view recently announced 2023 member [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] as a Hall of Famer, explained that Miller’s strength of schedule cannot be compared to those of champions.

“Jim Miller never was in the top five. He was never in the top 10,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “I love Jim Miller. I love everything he’s accomplished, but at one point ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone – who, by the way, I don’t think should be in the Hall of Fame – was the all-time wins leader. Andrei Arlovski at one point was the all-time wins leader.

“(Arlovski) will be in the Hall of Fame. But in his all-time wins, his longevity also coupled with his championship and all that, that puts him in. I don’t hate Jim, but Jim has a record that at some point can be broken. Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Aljamain Sterling, those guys will never hold the wins record. You want to know why? Because they’re fighting the best of the best.”

Cormier said if Miller and Cerrone make the UFC Hall of Fame, then the likes of Joe Lauzon should be inducted, as well, but in a different category.

“So then Joe Lauzon does too and all these other dudes like that,” Cormier added. “Like Deion (Sanders) said, ‘Put him in the Hall of Fame, but give him a different color jacket.’ That’s just the case.”

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Video: Is ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone’s career UFC Hall of Fame-worthy?

This past Saturday, the UFC announced its latest upcoming Hall of Fame inductee. Is Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone worthy despite no UFC title?

This past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 43 in Texas, the UFC announced its latest upcoming Hall of Fame inductee.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]’s career may not have included a major MMA title, but the “Cowboy” resume is littered with accolades.

He has the third most fights in UFC history with 38, and he fought for the lightweight title in 2015. He also fought three times for WEC titles before that promotion’s merger with the UFC.

His 18 post-fight bonuses are tied for the most in UFC history, and he’s tied for second for the most wins and most finishes on company history.

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When he goes into the UFC Hall of Fame in July during International Fight Week, he’ll go in alongside Jens Pulver, Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo, all of whom were UFC champions. So that begs the question: Is Cerrone’s UFC career Hall of Fame-worthy?

That’s the question this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Nolan King discussed with host Simon Samano. Check out their breakdowns in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

Donald Cerrone talks relationship with Yair Rodriguez, teaching interim UFC champ ‘how to have fun’

If Donald Cerrone could pass the “Cowboy” torch to anyone, it’s UFC interim champ Yair Rodriguez.

SAN ANTONIO – If [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] could pass the “Cowboy” torch to anyone, it’s [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag].

Cerrone, who was announced as a 2023 UFC Hall of Fame inductee this past Saturday, was known for his willingness to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. His “Cowboy” moniker also came from his outdoors lifestyle, which newly crowned interim featherweight champion Rodriguez shared with him for a good portion of his career.

“Yair Rodriguez, that’s my dude,” Cerrone told reporters backstage. “Him winning the interim title made me so happy. I remember training with him before he was in the UFC and yes, he’s hard to deal with – I went to bat with him on two different occasions with Hunter. Like, that’s my dude. Let’s figure it out. He lost his passport, he couldn’t get a visa. It was a whole bunch of – but he means business. When he goes out there, you see him throw and be ready, and like wow, he’s the one.”

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Cerrone provided plenty of insight into Rodriguez, who has grown to have quite the career. But the most valuable piece of advice he taught him was just to enjoy the journey.

“He’s been a big part of my entire career,” Cerrone added. “I would literally call him like, ‘Hey, we got another camp, you want to come down? I know you also have a fight.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be right there.’ And he would literally just drive from Mexico to my house, and he would come train.

“He was just always like my No. 1 fan. He was always there, riding bikes with me, lifting with me, swimming with me. Whatever I wanted to do, he was there and in return, I taught him how to have fun and enjoy the journey. So it’s cool that it worked, and he listened and enjoyed it, and now look at the motherf*cker, right?”

Spinning Back Clique: UFC on ESPN 43 fallout, Cerrone to HOF, Texas commission blunders, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics from MMA, including a lookahead to Bellator and PFL events.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia will join host Simon Samano live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • UFC on ESPN 43 this past Saturday was headlined by a marquee bantamweight matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera. The fight went the distance in a puzzling split decision result in Sandhagen’s favor. It shouldn’t have been a split, but that’s a discussion for later on. Were you more disappointed by “Chito” or impressed by Sandhagen?
  • Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm dominated Yana Santos in clear unanimous decision in the co-main event. There aren’t many logical options next for Holm, which makes you wonder about how her new six-fight contract will play out. At 41 and beyond, do you buy Holm reclaiming the title before she’s done?
  • Saturday, the UFC announced Donald Cerrone was added to 2023 Hall of Fame class. He’s joining an incredible inductee group that includes Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver. Unlike those guys, Cerrone never won a UFC or WEC title, but has always been a fan-favorite fighter. Is his spot in the Hall deserved?
  • Dana White responded to Leon Edwards’ comments about Colby Covington, doubling down on the decision to give “Chaos” the next shot at the welterweight title. The division’s title picture got interesting when Jorge Masvidal told MMA Junkie Radio that he has “insider information” that if he beats Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, he’ll get the shot over Covington. What do we make of Masvidal’s claim? Where does Belal Muhammad fit into all of this? And why is White so convinced Covington is a “no-brainer” for a title shot?
  • Unfortunately, Texas lived up to its reputation for bad judging and other issues. The Texas commission came under fire after a pair of blunders in San Antonio this past weekend, when a referee failed to recognize when a fighter was choked unconscious, and that same referee turned around the next night to judge fights at the UFC event. In addition, a Texas judge turned in a bizarre 48-47 scorecard in favor of Vera in the UFC on ESPN 43 main event. It’s time to figure this out. Why is Texas consistently bad at this? How can it get better?
  • Bellator and PFL are in action on a non-UFC weekend, and there are some fun fights to take in. Bellator 293 in Temecula, Calif. is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Marcelo Golm and Daniel James, and also features the return of Cat Zingano, who faces Leah McCourt. In Las Vegas, 2023 PFL 1 starts the regular season with featherweights and light heavyweights, and we’ll see Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes and Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos. What’s the most intriguing matchup on these cards?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Dana White gives thoughts on Sandhagen vs. Vera decision, Holm’s legacy, UFC in Mexico and more

Dana White addressed a number of topics after UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio, including next moves for Cory Sandhagen and Holly Holm.

SAN ANTONIO – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] touched on a number of topics after UFC on ESPN 43.

After 10 fights at AT&T Center, White answered questions from reporters about main event winner [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag], former women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag], [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]’s Hall of Fame announcement, plans for a UFC event in Mexico and more.

Check out White’s comments and responses below: